When the Miami Dolphins prolonged quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in 2024, it was a part of a a lot bigger pattern of QBs getting paid that offseason. With the quickly rising value, groups had been incentivized to get a deal completed earlier than the following domino fell some place else and raised the value once more. The Dolphins secured Tua for the long run with a four-year, $212 million contract however as with all NFL offers, the satan is within the particulars.
Tagovailoa’s contract wasn’t as sturdy at signing as the remainder of the offers that summer time. Solely $93.17 million was absolutely assured at signing and that was his 2024 and 2025 compensation. Two years absolutely assured is on the low finish of the size for a franchise participant.
However in March of 2025, $54 million extra grew to become absolutely assured for the 2026 season. That’s as a result of the Dolphins used a rolling assure construction, which ensures a future 12 months, that primarily retains turning the deal right into a two-year dedication every offseason. As we sit right here in September 2025, Miami is on the hook for a mixed $106 million over the course of the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
In March 2026, the Dolphins may have one other resolution to make on Tagovailoa’s contract, however it’s a cheaper price level — simply $3 million of his 2027 wage absolutely ensures. Peanuts.
How can the Dolphins get out of the Tua Tagovailoa contract?
The one means the Miami Dolphins can get out of Tua Tagovailoa’s contract is by buying and selling him. In any other case they’re going to pay the entire sum in 2025 and 2026. So they should persuade one other staff to pay $55 million in 2026 money to a man the Dolphins don’t need on their staff anymore. Appears unlikely.
In the event that they launch Tagovailoa, they are going to nonetheless owe him $55 million for 2026 minus no matter one other staff pays him.
Russell Wilson is the check case for Tua Tagovailoa — kind of
When the Denver Broncos traded for Russell Wilson in 2022, they gave him an enormous contract extension. His 2022, 2023, and 2024 salaries had been all absolutely assured, however his 2025 compensation would turn into absolutely assured in March of 2024.
As a way to keep away from that, the Broncos launched him in March 2024 regardless of having to pay him $39 million for the 2024 season. That stored his 2025 wage of $37 million off Denver’s books.
The Dolphins may have completed that early within the 2025 offseason, releasing Tagovailoa earlier than the 2025 wage got here due. However they didn’t, and now they’re on the hook in a means the Broncos weren’t.
Kirk Cousins is the extra correct check case for Tua Tagovailoa
When the Atlanta Falcons signed Kirk Cousins in 2024, they gave him two years assured on his four-year contract. Then they drafted Michael Penix, who they inserted into the lineup in the course of the 2024 season. They didn’t want Cousins and his bloated wage anymore in 2025, however his wage was already absolutely assured. They’d have to discover a commerce companion to make offloading him value it.
At $27.5 million in wage plus a $10 million assured bonus in 2026, no staff pulled the set off on a Cousins commerce in the course of the 2025 offseason. Now he’s the costliest backup QB in NFL historical past. They had been going to need to pay him anyway, so no use in releasing him.
Tagovailoa’s $55 million is sort of $20 million greater than the mixed $37.5 million Cousins had coming. The Dolphins will solely add $3 million in future assured cash for Tagovailoa if the maintain him into the 2026 season. Like Cousins, there received’t be a lot of a monetary profit to transferring on from Tua subsequent 12 months, so even when the Dolphins don’t need him as their 2026 starter, he may keep on the staff the identical means Cousins has in Atlanta.
